Grubnessul said:
Especially for inspiration for writing , eh ? XD
crusaderknight: Yep
, the Cardinal chapters are a tender and thoughtful touch sometimes XD .-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Especially for inspiration for writing , eh ? XD
crusaderknight: Yep
, the Cardinal chapters are a tender and thoughtful touch sometimes XD .
Emperor of the East
A Timelines Inter-Season Showcase Presentation by Calipah
Editor's Note said:
“It has been a thousand years since the first Muslims trekked the perilous wastelands from honored Mecca to the sleepy village of Yathrib, to beckon by their footsteps the coming of an age. From the oblivion of obscurity they emerged united by faith, the ceaseless Bedouin warriors and hardy peasants of the peninsula, they took the world by storm. Of what was promised, the palaces of Kisrah, and the riches of Cesar, came to be with the fall of the mighty Empires to the East. The centuries passed, and Islam went from strength to strength, her Caliphs and Sultans, thinkers and poets, illuminating the world in a grandeur not known since the time of the Shahnamah Kings. Yet like a broken vase, its lords and princes fought each other with the tenacity of beasts, and so it came to pass that the strong must wane into weakness. The enemies of the faith converged upon it like vultures swayed by the smell of flesh, and such is the will of Allah the all-knowing. From joyous Al-Andalus through fertile Egypt to the bride that is Syria, our people were hounded from their homes by a merciless infidel, their religion desecrated, their women raped, and their children dead. To add insult to injury, the three jewels were taken away – Qudus of the ascension, Medina the pure, and most grievous of all, Mecca the holy. Such has come to pass, and so it is the will of Allah, a righteous punishment for those who sinned and did not repent. But in our hour of despair, the Lord has sent to us a Ali incarnated, a heavenly symbol who vowed war upon the Infidel and brought victory, a medium of the divine essence through which redemption is made possible, and portent of the Hidden Imam ((Say verily my Lord, holder of sovereignty, you endow Kingship upon whom you wish, taketh it from whom you wish, you honor whom you wish, you humble whom you wish, in your hands is all good verily you are capable of everything))”
- Writings of Mullah Lotfullah Al-Gilani, 1611, Kitab al-Akbhar fi Amr el-Isphan
Bejeweled in the riches of olden Kings, clad in a long silk robe befitting Him alone, the Shahinshah, like a colossal Kay Khosrow, the first of the mortals to be crowned, walked towards the throne in steady steps, the retinue, guards, and slaves following him abreast in ceremonious procession. On either side amassed the gentry of an Empire, a pageantry of color to make true the Persian saying “Isfahan is Half the World” Outside the joyous celebrations of a growing multitude could be heard, their music and cheers seeping into the humongous hall of Ali Qapu, tantalizing the veining calligraphy and golden peacocks into life. There was an almost heavenly light seeping through the slits of the golden dome, basking the great hall in a aura of white illumination. The air was soaked with oriental perfume and the finest burning incense, the portals draped in Silken cloth made in the Samarakandi fashion. The wealth of a great Oriental Empire, ever resplendent, ever glorious. Behind the vast crowd, the customary belly dancing and singing commenced, heralding his arrival.
With every stride the Shahinshah took on the long and richly decorated carpet, the Nobles of every tire and rank knelt in reverence. He ascended the steps to the great throne slowly, the Poshtikbān Sālār:, the select chiefs of the many Imperial palaces, flanked him on either side loyally. Atop his sovereign seat, he took in the body of his subjects with a glance. The parade of Imperial troops and servants parted sideways before him, as if he were a Moses and they a sea. Following them there came before him the Mullahs of Qom, led by the Ruh’ollah Al-Bari, to present the relics of his Shia dominion – the snake tongued sword of Ali, the shield of Hussein, and most importantly, the crown of Cesar, a treasured Byzantine artifact rescued by the Saradukar and Ghulman during the siege of Constantinople. It was a surviving legacy of Emperor Qunstuntine Al-Azeem, an embellished crown supposedly worn by the mightiest Christian – and Muslim – Kings of the West. The wizened cleric bowed before him, turned to the page holding the crown, and adored the head of the Shahinshah with the glistening crown, summarily kissing his forehead and right hand as he descended the steps. One by one came the dignitaries and lords of Dar al-Islam to pay their respects to the Shahinshah – the brazen Qayd Al-Askhar the Champion Jafar was the first to kiss the royal ring, followed by the newly converted Sheriff of the Hedjaz and descendent of the Prophet, who presented the Emperor with a cloth piece of the Kiswah, the covering of the recently renovated Kaabah.
The arrayed members of the royal house, the Shahbanu, the harem and the catamites were then received. Then the princes of the West came forth, from the Arab Emirs of Syria and Misr to the Kurdish Atabegs and Turkish lords of Smyrna and Sivas, offering a myriad of stupendous gifts to the Shahinshah – peacocks, giraffes, treasures and ancient tomes and books. So was the tradition, so was the custom. Then came the princes of the East, the vanquished lordlings of the former Timurid Empire, the Pashtun and Baluchi Chieftains, the Governors of Bukhara and Samarkand, all stars orbiting the sun that is the Shahinshah. Good wishes of perpetual rule they gave, bequeathing their swords and arquebeses for the defense of the Empire. So was the tradition, so was the custom. Lastly came the Khan of Crimea, one of the remaining adherents to the old and defunct heresy of the so called ‘Sunnah’. He bowed and pronounced the Shahaddah of the Shia creed – such was the will of the Emperor. Such was the sway of his power, for truly, he was now the real Shahinshah, the Hakan, the Padishah, the Kagan, the Mepe-Mepete! Who else had a domain as grand as he? Who else could garner such adulation and love from his subjects? Who controlled the fate of millions other than he?! From Anatolia to the depths of Asia, from cold Astrakhan to the blistering heat of Arabia and Ifriqya! The crowd, as if in sync with his thoughts, bowed in unison before his awesome might, the banners of the Persian Empire and the Prophet fluttering furiously on the columns, the ecstasy of total power grasping his very being. There was no doubt about it, HE was the one, the Emperor of the East, and perhaps soon…Emperor of the West.
Nice piece. But it's the same silly mistake as Charlemagne not to crown yourself...
Grubnessul said:
It was definitely a good piece XD I think the East at this point was much more centralised than the Empire of Charlemagne though .
the problem of being crowned isn't as much the centralization, it is receiving the crown so opening the dispute of who is the highest power. E.g. the Holy Roman Emperor were crowned by the Pope, suggesting that they received their power from the Pope, so the Pope would be the power above them. Napoleon just crowned himself, solving that mess.
Grubnessul said:
But it's also why Napoleon's legitimacy was so disputed . Especially in such a religiously charged war , the champions of Islam require it .
canonized said:
Although it creates two issues. One, which Grub mentioned, is that it makes the Emperor subservient. Two, what happens if what the Emperor wants differs from what the religious structures want. The always problematic issue with religiously propped up rulers of course.
Estonianzulu said:
It would depend on the power of the monarch and depending on what he does . The only constraints that would apply in some cases would be moral ones ; something which all monarchs should rightfully be subjected to . as for the Eastern situation , the Shah definitely has enough prestige to keep things in line .
robou said:I forgot about the showcase bits. Very nice that was too
Yep , Calipah did a nice job XD
Murmurandus: I forgot you had kids XD you are forgiven !
Capibara: More coming up shortly
Still loving the AAR, my friend! Keep up the good work! I'll catch up one of these days!
crusaderknight said:Still loving the AAR, my friend! Keep up the good work! I'll catch up one of these days!
Thank you for your continued patronage
Chapter Summaries for Timelines
(will be linked in the table of contents)
That's right , ladies and gentlemen ! As promised I'll begin to make chapter summaries for Timelines . I would like your help though if you'd like to add or edit any of the following text please let me know by commenting ! Perhaps I'll add some of my own commentary here and there too just for fun !
Prologue and Chapter 1
Our Prologue opens with young Thomas Royce taking an Advanced Placement exam inside of an auditorium. We learn that he is a Protestant (a Lutheran) and lives in Southern California (where the school is as well). History is his subject and he just finished writing his essay for the exam and he wonders if he'll get in trouble for it. The title of his work is “If the French had defeated the Empire at Perpignan.”
As he stands to leave, he drops some of his books on the floor where one book opens up to a world map showing that Spain controls the entirety of the Earth sphere. Tom, however, had scribbled on the paper “wild” ideas such as this entity called “Turkey” and “United States.” He quickly puts them away lest anyone think he was crazy.
Chapter I: Perpignan
August 12 1529
Scene 1: Two characters: General Gonsalvo and Cardinal Ximenes are speaking in a dark underground chamber. General Gonsalvo is told by Cardinal Ximenes that he is to attack the French in the upcoming war. We learn in the course of their conversation that Alexandria had already been taken by the Spanish sometime before the events of Chapter 1; Portugal is an ally after the Treaty of Tordesillas; and France is about to declare war on Spain in jealousy of its massive expansion in the New World.
General Gonsalvo objects that it would be a hard task to accomplish and that they need not press past the Pyrenees but the Cardinal insists. The General eventually agrees but wonders why the Cardinal is pushing so hard to invade France.
Scene 2: France declares War on Spain after Spain annexes all the Americas up to the Great Lakes. We learn that the chamber they were in before is called The Silent Room. We also learn that the sovereign of Spain at the time is Emperor Carlos. The Spanish Armada is victorious in the Gulf of Lyon.
Scene 3: General Gonsalvo is readying his troops for battle. Two armies are directing northward; Gonsalvo is heading towards Perpignan while another army is moving towards Foix. Gonsalvo expresses concern over the lack of manpower for the campaign. A letter for reinforcements is sent but did not arrive before the French starting storming Narbonne.
Scene 4: News reaches the Silent Room of the battle, but the Cardinal is strangely confident that the Armada and Army will pull through.
Interlude
Tom is watching television where a re-enactment of the Battle of Perpignan from the perspective of sea captains in the Gulf of Lyon is currently showing. Tom scoffs at the historical inaccuracies as the Captain commands his troops: “raise the alert flag, condition red/ Raise shields (indicating the shields of the men being placed on the side of the boats to add extra cover against missiles)/ Shields up weapons on the line.” Tom turns off the television and goes to his computer to play some late night Hispania Universalis III. He goes online and watches as his friends in the lobby of the game discussing how the game engine is too dynamic and how the Roman Curia function is very unfair.
Chapter 2 Summary: The Spanish Curia (coming soon)
(will be linked in the table of contents)
That's right , ladies and gentlemen ! As promised I'll begin to make chapter summaries for Timelines . I would like your help though if you'd like to add or edit any of the following text please let me know by commenting ! Perhaps I'll add some of my own commentary here and there too just for fun !
Prologue and Chapter 1
Davout's Salient Facts said:
Chapter I said:
Our Prologue opens with young Thomas Royce taking an Advanced Placement exam inside of an auditorium. We learn that he is a Protestant (a Lutheran) and lives in Southern California (where the school is as well). History is his subject and he just finished writing his essay for the exam and he wonders if he'll get in trouble for it. The title of his work is “If the French had defeated the Empire at Perpignan.”
As he stands to leave, he drops some of his books on the floor where one book opens up to a world map showing that Spain controls the entirety of the Earth sphere. Tom, however, had scribbled on the paper “wild” ideas such as this entity called “Turkey” and “United States.” He quickly puts them away lest anyone think he was crazy.
Chapter I: Perpignan
August 12 1529
Scene 1: Two characters: General Gonsalvo and Cardinal Ximenes are speaking in a dark underground chamber. General Gonsalvo is told by Cardinal Ximenes that he is to attack the French in the upcoming war. We learn in the course of their conversation that Alexandria had already been taken by the Spanish sometime before the events of Chapter 1; Portugal is an ally after the Treaty of Tordesillas; and France is about to declare war on Spain in jealousy of its massive expansion in the New World.
General Gonsalvo objects that it would be a hard task to accomplish and that they need not press past the Pyrenees but the Cardinal insists. The General eventually agrees but wonders why the Cardinal is pushing so hard to invade France.
Scene 2: France declares War on Spain after Spain annexes all the Americas up to the Great Lakes. We learn that the chamber they were in before is called The Silent Room. We also learn that the sovereign of Spain at the time is Emperor Carlos. The Spanish Armada is victorious in the Gulf of Lyon.
Scene 3: General Gonsalvo is readying his troops for battle. Two armies are directing northward; Gonsalvo is heading towards Perpignan while another army is moving towards Foix. Gonsalvo expresses concern over the lack of manpower for the campaign. A letter for reinforcements is sent but did not arrive before the French starting storming Narbonne.
Scene 4: News reaches the Silent Room of the battle, but the Cardinal is strangely confident that the Armada and Army will pull through.
Interlude
Tom is watching television where a re-enactment of the Battle of Perpignan from the perspective of sea captains in the Gulf of Lyon is currently showing. Tom scoffs at the historical inaccuracies as the Captain commands his troops: “raise the alert flag, condition red/ Raise shields (indicating the shields of the men being placed on the side of the boats to add extra cover against missiles)/ Shields up weapons on the line.” Tom turns off the television and goes to his computer to play some late night Hispania Universalis III. He goes online and watches as his friends in the lobby of the game discussing how the game engine is too dynamic and how the Roman Curia function is very unfair.
Chapter 2 Summary: The Spanish Curia (coming soon)
Last edited:
CHAPTER SUMMARIES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prologue and Chapter I: Perpignan
Chapter II: The Spanish Curia
Chapter III: Spanish Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire
Chapter IV: Siege of London
Chapter V: Jerusalem
Chapter VI: The Far East
Chapter VII: Hideyoshi Hashiba
Chapter VIII: Deceived and Captured!
Chapter IX: Japan's Timepiece
Chapter X: Panzerkardinal
Chapter XI: Infiltration and Capture
Chapter XII: The Lions of Meissen
Chapter XIII: Mystery of Mecca
Chapter XIV: Maze of Mecca
Chapter XV: The Guardian
Chapter XVI: Legacy of Ming
Chapter XVII: Of Wolves and Lions
Chapter XVIII: Schwarzschild
Chapter XIX: ZOMBIES?!
Chapter XX: San Francisco
More summaries coming soon !
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prologue and Chapter I: Perpignan
Chapter II: The Spanish Curia
Chapter III: Spanish Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire
Chapter IV: Siege of London
Chapter V: Jerusalem
Chapter VI: The Far East
Chapter VII: Hideyoshi Hashiba
Chapter VIII: Deceived and Captured!
Chapter IX: Japan's Timepiece
Chapter X: Panzerkardinal
Chapter XI: Infiltration and Capture
Chapter XII: The Lions of Meissen
Chapter XIII: Mystery of Mecca
Chapter XIV: Maze of Mecca
Chapter XV: The Guardian
Chapter XVI: Legacy of Ming
Chapter XVII: Of Wolves and Lions
Chapter XVIII: Schwarzschild
Chapter XIX: ZOMBIES?!
Chapter XX: San Francisco
More summaries coming soon !
Last edited:
canonized said:
Well, that's not going to help much
With such summaries, people will still be taking ages to catch up
still the summaries are nice to bring up a bit of what we read more than a year ago
nice feature!
nice feature!
Ah... summaries... very nice... now if only the number of chapters were smaller...
ForzaA said:Well, that's not going to help much
With such summaries, people will still be taking ages to catch up
Haha they'll get shorter as more and more people are aware and familiar with the characters . Plus the earlier chapters were much longer than later ones if you've noticed .
Grubnessul: Thanks
Murmurandus: Haha , oh shush you !